The Firstenburg Foundation granted Share $55,000 to purchase a new truck for the nonprofit’s Talkin’ Trash program, where homeless and formerly homeless people pick up trash around Vancouver.
Diane McWithey, Share’s executive director, said in a news release the grant “will not only ensure the continued success of the program but will increase the program’s efficiency and expand it to serve other areas of Vancouver.” Some potential service areas are on a waiting list.
Share used the grant to purchase a 2019 2500 Tradesman Dodge Ram pickup; the larger, 8-foot-long truck bed will allow crew members to transport more trash in fewer trips and allow more crew members to travel together to sites. Previously, Talkin’ Trash used a short-bed pickup from the city of Vancouver, which funds the program. Repairs became too extensive and costly to continue operating the program without a new vehicle, the news release said.
Talkin’ Trash works daily to collect trash generated at homeless camps near downtown Vancouver and other areas impacted by garbage, including Esther Short Park, the Vancouver Navigation Center, Vancouver Community Library and the sound wall on Mill Plain Boulevard. A recent third-party report recommended expanding the program.
